The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has said the African Democratic Congress (ADC) will participate in the 2027 general elections despite a court ruling invalidating the leadership of the party’s David Mark-led faction and the nomination of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.
However, Keyamo noted that candidates produced by the Mark-led faction, including Atiku, might be excluded from the ballot, depending on the final ruling of the Supreme Court.
The minister made this known in a post on X on Sunday while addressing concerns that the Federal High Court judgment could prevent the ADC from participating in the forthcoming elections.
“For the education of the public, those raising false alarm that the court judgment on ADC means the Party will not be on the ballot are spreading misinformation,” he wrote.
“The ADC will be on the ballot. It is the David Mark faction of candidates, including Atiku Abubakar, that may not be on the ballot, depending on the final judgment of the Supreme Court.”
The Federal High Court in Abuja had on Thursday nullified the David Mark-led leadership of the ADC and set aside decisions taken by the faction, including the presidential primary that produced Atiku as the party’s candidate for the 2027 election.
The party has, however, vowed to challenge the judgment on appeal.
Reacting to the controversy surrounding the ruling, Keyamo questioned the protests against the court’s decision, arguing that it should not be interpreted as denying the ADC’s original members their constitutional right to participate in elections.
He urged critics of the judgment to consider the interests of other party members who secured their tickets under the original leadership structure.
“Therefore, the question we must ask those raising hell is that, are those Nigerians who successfully won their primaries under the faction of the original owners of the ADC lesser humans or lesser Nigerians than David Mark and Atiku Abubakar?” he asked.
Keyamo’s remarks come amid growing uncertainty over the ADC’s political future and its participation in the 2027 general elections following the court’s decision.
Meanwhile, Atiku and the ADC have rejected the judgment and announced plans to challenge it at the Court of Appeal.
